Welcome to the 2015-2016 school year! It is my privilege to welcome you all to fifth grade! This will be my eighth year teaching fifth grade, and I can't wait to begin this exciting journey with you all! Fifth grade is an incredible year! It is one that will bring about dreams of the possibilities ahead, opportunities for leadership and growth, and chances to see the world from different perspectives. I can't wait to meet each of you and begin to build our community together!
I look forward to hearing about all of your summer adventures! I hope your summer was filled with much joy, excitement, and also time to relax and unwind. My summer brought about new adventures and wonderful time spent with family. This summer was very special for my fiancé and I and our families as we began to plan our wedding that will be held later on this school year in the spring. I also was able to learn more about the great sport of golf and play my first full round. I am so excited about continuing to learn to play even though the sport can present its challenges and frustrations. I definitely tried to have a growth mindset on the golf course! The remainder of the summer brought our annual family vacation to Destin, Florida, time spent in my garden, and the great opportunity to attend the Singapore Math Conference. This conference was a tremendous opportunity to learn even more about great math strategies that I can share with the students this school year!
Our journey together will begin this Tuesday, August 11 at our Captain Kick-Off! We will welcome new families in the cafeteria at 8:15 a.m. for New Family Orientation. Then, all families can visit their new classrooms for Meet the Teacher from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Students are welcome to bring their school supplies too! I will have signs out in the classroom for supplies I will collect, and the remaining supplies can be stored in students' lockers for the time being. Students and families are also free to explore our classroom and get to know our classmates and their families as well. We completely understand if families may not be able to attend the Captain Kick-Off. We will then look forward to seeing you on our very first day, Wednesday, August 12. Students are dropped off at 8:20 a.m., and the teachers will meet classes on the playground to walk up to classrooms at 8:30 a.m. Announcements for the day will begin promptly at 8:40 a.m., and then we will go into our learning for the day. During the first week of school, the entire fifth grade class will participate in a leadership retreat to prepare to be the leaders of our community. Themes of our retreat will include: learning and owning our school norm of " do the right thing even when no one is watching," building positive relationships, working together as a team supporting one another, and having a growth mindset. Dismissal for fifth grade happens at the bottom of stairwell E, which is located on the west side of school nearest the playground right by the ramp at 3:30 p.m.
It is my hope that this year will be an inspiring one for all of my students and their families! I look forward to my partnership with each of your families and our work together! I also hope to use this blog to update you on our progress throughout the school year, share important dates, and share information on upcoming events. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions, concerns, or how I can be of any support to you!
